Registering-machine.



G. E. & A. G. SGHUMAN. REGISTERING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 13120.16, 1912.

, 1,072,658. Patented Sept.9,1913.,

COLUMBIA PLANQORAPH 50.. WASHINGTON. D. cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. SGHUMAN AND ALEXANDER C. SCHUMAN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

REGISTERING-MACHIN E.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE E. SOHUMAN and ALEXANDER C. SCI-IUMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Registering-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide in a registering machine a novel and improved device for preventing the registering dials from being carried by momentum farther than they are designed to go, and also to provide an improved transfer mechanism whereby a registering dial of a higher order is advanced one step at each complete revolution of the registering dial of the next lowest order.

The machine is operated by key-levers, and in connection with the latter there is also provided a device for preventing shortstroking, the key-lever being compelled to be actuated to its full extent before it can be returned.

The invention also has for its object to provide improved means for preventing the simultaneous operation of two or more keylevers.

These objects are attained by a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one end of one of the pawls hereinafter referred to. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the key-levers. Fig. is a section on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a slight modification of the ratchet-wheel hereinafter referred to.

In the drawing, only so much of the machine is shown as will make clear the connection of the present invention therewith, and it may be here stated that while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, it is to be understood that various changes in the structural details illustrated may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Referring now spec1fically to the drawing, 10denotes a shaft on which is mounted a registering dial shown dotted at 11. Parallel to the shaft 10 is a second shaft 12 carrying a registering dial 13 of the nexthigher order. Thus, if the dlal 11 1s a units dial, the dial 13 is a tens dial. The two shafts are supported in a suitable frame, a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 16, 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913. Serial No. 736,998.

fragment of which is shown at 1%. On the shaft 10 is fast a ratchet-wheel 15, and a similar wheel 16 is fast on the shaft 12. The ratchet wheel 15 is operated by a pawl 17, and a pawl 18 operates the ratchet-wheel 16, whereby the shafts 10 and 12 are rotated to operate the registering dials. Spring pawls 19, engageable with the ratchetwheels, prevent backward rotation of the shafts. The ratchet-wheel 15 has a deep notch 20, and the ratchet-wheel 16 has a deep notch 21, which notches are for a purpose to be presently made clear. The frame 1% also supports a rock-shaft 22 on which is loosely mounted an angle lever, the two arms of which are indicated at 23 and 2%, respectively. The shaft passes through the lever at the angle thereof. The arm 2% is connected by a wire 25, or other suitable connection, to a key-lever 26. The shaft 22 carries an arm 27 which is made fast so as to swing with the shaft. The extremity of the arm has a bend 28 terminating in a laterally projecting finger or abutment 29.

The pawl 17 is an elongated member pivoted at one end, as indicated at 30, to the arm 27 near the extremity thereof. Above the pivot the pawl has a laterally projecting lug 31 which extends through an aperture 32 in the arm 27 into engagement with the extremity of the arm 23 of the angle lever. Adjacent to the pivot the pawl has a tooth 33 projecting from its edge which is opposite the ratchet-wheel 15 so as to enter the notches thereof. The free end of the pawl has a reduced portion 3% forming a shoulder or abutment The swing of the arm 27 is limited by stops 36 located on opposite sides thereof. That edge of the arm which is adjacent to the ratchet-wheel 15 has a tooth or abutment 37 adapted to come into the path of a pin or abutment 38 carried by and projecting from one face of the ratchet-wheel 15, for a purpose to be presently described. A return spring 39 is connected to the arm 27, and a similar spring %0 to the arm 2%. The key-lever 26 is also provided with a return spring %1.

The pawl 18 is an elongated member pivoted at one end, as indicated at %2, to a swinging arm %3 at the extremity of the latter, said arm being mounted on a shaft supported by the frame 1% and extending parallel to the shaft 22. Adjacent to the pivot, the pawl has a tooth %5 adapted to enter the notches of the ratchet-wheel 16.

The arm 43 has at its extremity a bend 16 terminating: in a laterally projecting finger or abutment 17. That end of the pawl which is pivoted has a return bend 48 car rying a transverse pin or rigid wire 19. The arm 13 swings between stops 50 and has on its edge, which is adjacent to the ratchet-wheel 16, a tooth or abutment 51 adapted to come into the path of a pin or abutment 52 carried by and projecting from one face of said ratchet-wheel. On the arm 27 is an ear 53 through which loosely passes one end of a rod or wire 54:, and on the arm 13 is an ear 55 through which the other end of said rod or wire loosely passes. On the ends of the rod or wire are heads 56. A rod or wire 57 connects the arm 4L3 with the next arm if another registering wheel and its actuating pawl and ratchet are employed.

In operation, when the key-lever 26 is depressed the angle-lever is actuated and its arm 23 pushes against the lug 31, thereby swinging the arm 27 in the same direc' tion the arm 23 is swung and moving the pawl 17 bodily forward lengthwise in the same direction, so that the tooth 33 rotates the ratchetwheel 15 one step. As the pressure which drives the pawl is applied above the pivot 30, the pawl tooth is held firmly in the notch of the ratchet-wheel, and when the latter rotates it raises the pawl to meet the abutment 29 which is also descending. At the end of the stroke the pawl and abutment come together and firmly hold the ratchet-wheel from being carried too far by its momentum. When the pawltooth is in the deep notch 20, the abutments 37 and 38 serves this purpose. At every complete revolution of the ratchet-wheel 15, the ratchet-wheel 16 is rotated one step. This action is effected as follows: When the pawltooth 33 drops into the deep notch 20, the

free-end of the pawl 17 swings down so that the shoulder 35 comes behind the pin 49. The forward movement of the pawl 17 now actuates the pawl 18 also and thus operates the ratchet-wheel 16. hen the pawl-tooth 33 is in the shallow notches of the ratchet-wheel 15, the shoulder 35 is above the pin a9 and no movement is transmitted to the pawl 18. Then the arm 27 is restored to its normal position the arm 13 is also restored through the connection 54. The parts f7, 51 and 52 have the same function as the parts 29, 37 and 3 8. The key-lever 26 is fulcrumed on a shaft 58, and its forward end works in a slot 59 in a plate 60 which may be a portion of the casing of the machine. The rear or tail end of the key-lever is turned up slightly as indicated at 61. On the inner face of the plate 60, adjacent to one side of the slot 59, is a double rack 62, and the forward end of the key-lever carries a pawl 63 adapted to engage said rack, which latter is parallel to the plane in which the key-lever swings. The pawl is pivoted at 64 to a side lug 65' on the key lever so as to swing transversely of the rack. On each side of the head of the pawl is a tooth 66-. To the tail end of the pawl is connected a spring 67 against the tension of which the pawl swings. The pawl and rack herein described, operating in connection with the key-lever 26, are designed to prevent shorttroking of the latter. H The action is as follows: When the key lever is depressed, to operate a registering dial as hereinbefore described, the pawl 63 is on the left side of the rack 62, and the rack teeth on this side slant in such a direction that the key-lever cannot rise. The key-lever is depressed until the pawl passes the lower end of the rack, and the key-lever may now rise, the pawl slipping upward over the teeth on the right side of the rack, which teeth'are so slanted that the pawl prevents the key-lever from being depressed.

Thus the key-lever cannot be depressed until a full return stroke has been made and the pawl is again at the top of the rack ready to pass down the left side thereof. It will be noted that the top of the rack is inclined toward the left toothed side thereof and the end of the pawl head is similarly inclined, whereby the pawl is thrown to the left side of the rack at the commencement of the downward travel of the key-lever, and the herein-described action is thus assured. The bottom of the rack is inclined upward toward the right side to guide the pawl to that side.

Any number of registering-dial actuating devices, and a key-lever for each, may be provided, and a grand total can be obtained by having a totaling mechanism connected to a bail 68 extending beneath all the keylevers so as to be actuated thereby. Thus the totaling device will register every time a key-lever is operated. In such a machine it is necessary that every key-lever operated should complete its stroke before another key-lever is operated. The following mechanism is provided for this purpose: To'the rear, and below the tail ends 61 of the keylevers 26, is mounted a rock-shaft 69 having at one end a crank arm 70 carrying a laterally projecting pin 71. The shaft 69 carries hooks 72, one hook being provided for each key-lever and the ends of the hooks being normally positioned above the ends 61 of the key-levers. On the shaft 58 is pivoted an arm 73 having at one end a cam-slot 74: into which the pin 71 extends. The other end of the arm carries the bail 68.

In operation, when any one of the keylevers 26 is depressed, the slotted end of the arm 73 swings upward,- whereby, through the engagement of the pin 71 with the camshaped slot 74, the shaft 69 is rocked in a direction to swing the hooks 72 over the ends 61 of the key-levers after the key-lever which is being operated has passed above the path of its hook. The other hooks come down over the ends 61 of the corresponding key-levers and hold the same down so that they can not be operated until released. The release does not take place until the keylever which has been actuated returns to its normal position, the return stroke withdrawing the hooks 72 from holding position. Thus it will be evident that no key-lever can be operated until a previously operated key-lever has completed its stroke.

If the machine is used to register tickets it may in some cases be desirable to register the money value of the tickets instead of the number of tickets sold. This can be done by only a slight change in the machine if the price of the tickets is a divisor of 100 without a remainder, for example: If the price of the tickets is five cents, the units ratchet-wheel will have five deep and five shallow notches spaced alternately as shown in Fig. 5, and its registering dial will be correspondingly numbered 0 and 5 alternately. The other ratchet and registering dials need not be changed.

We claim:

1. In a register, registering wheels of different orders, ratchet-wheels for operating said registering wheels, said ratchet-wheels having a deep notch, pawls for operating the ratchet-wheels, swinging supports carrying the pawls, an actuating member engageable with the pawl of the lowest order, said pawl having means to actuate the pawl of the next higher order when said firstmentioned pawl engages the deep notch of its ratchet wheel, a connection between the supports of the pawls for returning the sup port of the pawl of the higher order to its normal position when the support of the pawl of the lower order returns to normal position, and means for effecting such re turn of the last-mentioned support.

2. In a register, registering wheels of different orders, ratchet-wheels for operating said registering wheels, said ratchet-wheels having a deep notch, pawls for operating the ratchet-wheels, swinging supports carrying the pawls, an angle-lever having one of its arms engageable with the pawl of the lowest order to actuate the same, operating means connected to the other arm of the lever, the pawl of the lowest order having gages the deep notch of its ratchet-wheel. a connection between the supports of the pawls for returning the support of the pawl of the higher order to its normal position when the support of the pawl of the lower order returns to normal position, and means for effecting such return of the last-mentioned support.

3. In a register, registering wheels of different orders, ratchet-wheels for operating said registering wheels, said ratchet-wheels having a deep notch, pivoted pawls for operating the ratchet-wheels, swinging supports carrying the pawls, an angle-lever having one of its arms engageable with the pawl of the lowest order to swing the support thereof and actuate said pawl, and operating means connected to the other arm of said lever, the pawl of the lowest order having means to actuate the pawl of the next higher order when said first-mentioned pawl engages the deep notch of its ratchet-wheel.

4. The combination of a ratchet-wheel, a swinging support, a pivoted pawl carried by the support for operating the ratchetwheel, said pawl being actuated when its support is swung, and an actuating member engageable with the pawl to swing the support thereof and actuate said pawl, said member engaging the pawl at a point to press the same into engagement with the ratchet-wheel.

5. The combination of a ratchet-wheel, a pawl for operating the ratchetwheel, a swinging support carrying the pawl, a lever engageable with the pawl to swing the support thereof and actuate said pawl, an abutment projecting from the ratchet-wheel, and an abutment on the pawl-support adapted to come into the path of the abutment of the pawl.

6. The combination of a ratchet-wheel, a pawl for operating the ratchet-wheel, a swinging support to which the pawl is pivoted, said support having an abutment which is in the path of the pawl, and a lever engageable with the pawl to swing the support thereof and actuate said pawl.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. SCHUMAN. ALEXANDER O. SCHUMAN.

W'itnesses:

Mrs. T. J. NOLAN, LILLIE SGHUMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

